Stop the madness. Yet another story that says Twin Cities real estate is growing (“Real estate is propelling state on economic surge,” Sept. 18) My home is 55 miles away from Minneapolis, and there’s no recovery here. I’ve had my house on the market for four months and have dropped the price three times — way below what I paid for it years ago. No jobs, no buyers. Star Tribune, do you cover the surrounding area of the Twin Cities or just Minneapolis?

KELLY SWANSON, Milaca, Minn.

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FERAL CATS

Treat killer cats and hunters the same

A study on the neuter and release of feral cats estimated that each year they kill more than a billion birds and mammals, including rats (“Managing feral cats: The facts and the values,” Sept. 18). What about the number of deer, pheasants, bears, mourning doves, etc., killed by hunters each year? Maybe a study could call for a program to neuter hunters.

SHIRLEY HALL, Minneapolis

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JASON LEWIS

His column on crime perpetuated stereotypes

To be sure, black crime is a problem as is any kind of crime. Think of the costs of white crime perpetrated by the Bernie Madoffs of the country. To look at crime statistics only through a “colored” lens gives an inaccurate picture (“Can we admit black crime is a problem?” Jason Lewis column, Sept. 15).

For every bit of “anecdotal” evidence cited in the column, you could find cases of white-on-black crime that would be just as horrific, including lynchings, dragging behind pickups and fatal beatings of homeless persons. Look further at the numbers, and you would find poverty to be a much greater predictor of crime than race. We as a society need to get past racist stereotypes and tackle problems, such as joblessness, homelessness and poverty.

JAMES BETTENDORF, Brooklyn Park

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Note to Lewis: George Zimmerman did not “garner so much attention for allegedly accosting a black teen.” He garnered attention because he killed the unarmed young man.

NICK DOLPHIN, Minneapolis

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JERRY KILL

This fan no longer frets about coach’s health

I’m a Gophers football season-ticket holder, and I was at the game when Coach Jerry Kill had his “first” seizure three years ago. The crowd stat in stunned and worried silence.

I was again sitting in the crowd again on Sept. 14. When I asked about the paramedics on the sidelines, I learned the coach had had another seizure. This time, my reaction was different.

I knew that he was being taken care of, so I kept my attention on the band’s halftime performance. It appeared that the rest of the students and fans were doing the same. I’d say that the coach and the university have done an excellent job “educating” the public about epilepsy.

KATHY EIDEN, St. James, Minn.

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WATER POLLUTION

The solution in Plymouth is wrong

I can’t believe the solution to water pollution is to cut down trees (“Losing trees concerns Plymouth neighbors,” Sept. 18). The most obvious solution is to stop using fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. By now, most people should know what these chemicals do to our environment. Are green lawns so important that Plymouth will lose 800 to 1,000 trees?

BILL KERCHNER, Andover

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STANEK’s STANCE

Tobacco is a problem; marijuana is not

Rich Stanek’s priorities are wrong. Some 1,300 smokers died today because of cigarettes. Some 225 alcohol drinkers died today because of the alcohol or alcohol-related accidents. It’s likely that no one died today because of marijuana use. Let’s get our priorities straight and quit spending more than $30,000 a year to lock up some marijuana offenders. The only two entities that benefit from outlawing marijuana are the drug dealers and the prison systems.

RICHARD BREITMAN, Minneapolis

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VIKINGS STADIUM

The pulltab stories are getting old

I’m really tired of hearing about the “failed” pulltabs for the monetary gain of the Wilfs (“E-pulltab haul for stadium is zero in first year,” Sept. 18) Most of us knew it was going to fail, because we understand the pulltab mentality. You pay the price for as many pulltabs as you want or can afford, then you pull each one and hope there’s a winner underneath the tab. What do you do with an electronic one? You push a button. WOW! What fun is that?

The fun is in the physical pulling of the tab and anticipating a win. If those who thought they knew everything would have actually talked to people involved in purchasing pulltabs, they would have realized what a mistake the electronics would be. Dayton should just admit his “miss” and admit to what he dismissed (casinos).

JEANETTE SUPER, Plymouth

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WAR-WEARY

Essay connected all the wrong dots

I’ve a strong reaction to Eliot Cohen’s assessment of American’s views on war (“Our exaggerated ‘war-weariness,’” Sept. 16). He seems to believe that the definition of “war weariness” is the same as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and that no one in the United States should be tired of war unless they’ve served in combat recently.

As one who served in the Marines in Korea in the 1950s, I’m very weary of our country fighting unnecessary wars of choice, pretty ineffectively, without positive benefit at great human and financial cost.